I am working on a windows app for sales reps that they use in the field. They do not have an Internet connection in the field so I am looking to build some kind of update solution that they can use while they are in our home office.
The general idea would be that the sales rep clicks an update button while in the office. The app downloads the latest list of clients into a SQL Server CE table. The sales rep then proceeds to visit his/her customers and fills out a questionnaire in the app. Each answer is saved for their client(s) in the SQL Server CE database. When the user revisits the home office and clicks the update button, the recorded data is inserted into the questionnaire table, their local database notes the success of the data being inserted, the old local customer list is dropped and the latest customer list is retrieved from the SQL server into their SQL CE database. Rinse and Repeat.
I am used to building ASP.Net sites and a few applications that would never do this process normally. I am coding in C# and am using CodeSmith on the data layer side. What would be the recommended best practice and .Net tools to accomplish this kind of scenario? Thanks in advance for your guidance.
I think the MS Synch Framework would be the best solution for your scenario.
See the walkthrough in creating an application leveraging the synch framework